For the second year in a row, the Las Vegas Raiders enter the offseason without a clear starting quarterback. Aidan O’Connell, arguably their best option from this past season, is set to return. As is veteran Gardner Minshew, but this team is in desperate need of an upgrade.
However, a high-priced Pro Bowl quarterback coming off a career year is set to enter free agency, and now he’s being linked to Las Vegas.
Related: Top 2025 NFL free agents: Ranking top 30 players in NFL free agency
Sam Darnold predicted to sign with Las Vegas Raiders
Whether it’s through the draft, free agency, or trade, the Las Vegas Raiders need to find a better starting quarterback if they have any hopes of improving upon last season’s last place finish in the AFC West.
Yet, the Raiders may have thought they’d be in position to land a quarterback during last year’s draft, only to have a couple surprises in the Atlanta Falcons selecting Michael Penix Jr. and the Denver Broncos taking Bo Nix.
They may want to leave no doubts entering the 2025 NFL Draft, where they hold the sixth overall pick in a class that’s perceived to feature just two quarterbacks worthy of a first-round selection.
One potential solution, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler predicts, is to sign Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold instead. As he noted, “All it takes is one suitor to drive Darnold’s market to the point where it’s cost-prohibitive for Minnesota to retain him.” With the Raiders entering the offseason with a projected $100 million in cap space, Darnold could very well be in their price range.
“At Pick 6, [the Raiders] are out of range for a quarterback unless they move up, which wouldn’t be smart based on the amount of holes they have,” a high-ranking personnel man of an NFL team said. “They need every pick. They have flexibility within the cap to get it done.”
ESPN’s sources on Las Vegas Raiders/Sam Darnold
Multiple NFL insiders recently projected that Darnold’s contract could land in the Baker Mayfield range, a three-year, $100 million contract. That may be a price the Raiders view as worth paying, especially if it means getting an above-average QB capable of playing at a Pro Bowl level as Darnold did this season.
